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Just a week after my mother’s funeral I was driving to work in tears. I said aloud, “Mom, I need to know you’ll always be near me.” I asked her for a sign. I felt a soft hand on my cheek. “Mom, I’m not sure that was real,” I continued crying. When the light changed, I drove about 30 yards and the car was surrounded by a blizzard of white butterflies! My windshield was covered. I laughed and then cried. I heard her laugh and ask, “Anne, did you get that one?” White butterflies continue to arrive in my life.
In researching my book, Angel Bumps, Hello from Heaven, I was inspired to learn of signs felt by many other persons of all ages that a loved one they lost was still close. Our experiences affirmed a sense that love doesn’t die.
This reconnection exudes a feeling of warmth, of love, as grief lightens and we realize that we are never alone. Pay attention to your own spiritual intuition. Listen with your heart, not your head. I understand how this conversation may seem like supernatural woo-woo to those who have not received what I call “angel bumps." Those hellos from heaven are very real for those of us who know their presence and power.
In a Forbes article, psychologist Mark Travers writes, “When we lose someone we love, we are often left with a void that seems impossible to fill. In such moments of profound grief, some people experience a phenomenon that transcends the physical world."
I am a believer. Every sign I receive is accompanied by goosebumps. People have reported that these beckonings from another world may come as: a meaningful song, birds that regularly fly close by, symbolic license plates, dreams, even flickering lights, coincidences that do not seem random.
Renee Stambaugh’s son died in 2016. One night she dreamt of him. The next morning, she looked to the sky and said, “Dave, I miss you so much. Most of all, I miss your awesome hugs.” She headed to the grocery store. Once she loaded her items onto the belt, she noticed the cashier’s name tag. Dave! She started to cry. He was so concerned and asked if she was okay. When she explained, he came around the counter and hugged her tightly. They were both in tears. I like to think of it as a group hug.
Birds that appear regularly are a very popular sign. One friend told me that when her father died, a big, bright red cardinal began hovering at her feeder, almost daily. Another cardinal joined the first one soon after her mother passed away. “These two birds, beautiful and alive, make me feel my parents are together and still watching over me. That sense of still being a beloved daughter definitely eases the pain of loss.”
Jeanie Fowler’s pet name for her sister Betsy was Bee. Shortly after she passed, a huge black and yellow queen bumble bee circled Jeanie for half an hour. Betsy’s husband Alden got a different sign. He was leaving the cemetery when a car pulled in front of him. The license plate read MYBETSY. He always referred to her as My Betsy.
I wish that my deceased parents had met my grandchildren. My grandson Arlo was three when he played hide and seek with a white butterfly for half an hour. My daughter called from Colorado to tell me this exciting news. When she called him to the phone, she asked him, "Do you like that butterfly?" He insisted it was not a butterfly. He stomped his feet and claimed, “She’s Nan!” Guess what my mom’s grandmom’s name was ... Nan. She died 15 years before he was born.
In my interviews, I found that children are very in tune with the spiritual world, something I felt in my own family. My sister-in-law, Mimi, died before my grandchildren were born. Every trip to the beach with our children and their children concluded with a shell painting extravaganza. My granddaughter Kaylee was three when she found a photo of Mimi. She carried it in her pink purse all week. She’d talk to the photo and kiss it. Kaylee gave Mimi a place of honor in the center of her shell painting, in the form of a photo of Mimi with a big smile on her face. My daughters, their moms and I had tears in our eyes.
Long-term studies into what is called “after-death communication" have been conducted by prominent institutions, such as the University of Virginia School of Medicine. One UVA faculty member specializing in the field, Professor Kim Penberthy from the Division of Perceptual Studies, reports research that shows approximately one in three people experience an after-death communication at some point in their life. And, research found that these experiences occur in cultures all around the world.
Some signs are unexpected and delight the intended receiver. Kathy Coulter’s brother passed suddenly. One day driving to work, she told her brother she imagined him and their dad as two hawks flying free together. As she spoke, a truck pulled up beside her. The logo read Two Hawks Trucking, Inc. Coincidence?
Joanne Salemink’s mother was a jokester who loved ice cream. At the cemetery, an ice cream truck arrived across the street blaring music. Family and friends wiped their tears as they chuckled. Her mom had gotten one last laugh.
How blessed are we to have someone in our lives that loves us so deeply that they never leave. While they may not be within our sight, we are always connected to them. When this happens to you, listen to the thoughts that come to you. When that warm and deep feeling overwhelms you, know that you are being bumped by a beloved angel.
Have you ever received what you believed to be a sign from a lost loved one? Let us know in the comments below.
Marco Lawrence
Follow Article Topics: Relationships
